Ugandan Police Join UN Peacekeeping Force in East Timor

16 senior police officers are leaving for East Timor to take part in peacekeeping operations in south Asian country.
The police spokesperson, Edward Ochom, says the team, deployed under the auspices of the United Nations, will be headed by Commissioner of Police Cleophas Muhatane. Other members on the team are Assistant Commissioners of Police Joseph Opio and Asuman Mugenyi.
This is the first time Ugandan police will participate in a peacekeeping mission outside Africa. Ugandan police officers are currently deployed in the Sudanese region of Darfur and in Liberia.
East Timor obtained independence from Indonesia in 2002, but violence clashes, instigated primarily by the Indonesian army and aided by Timorese pro-Indonesia militia, broke out soon afterwards. A peacekeeping force led by Australia intervened to restore order. The force was later replaced by a UN force of International Police known as the United Nations Transitional Administration in East Timor.